The Sound Word

Paul once said, "I have become all things to all men". Since those words have been spoken, they have been used to mean a great many different things to a great many different people. For the most part, this verse is referenced to show how a Christian must be willing to interact with the people of the world in order to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. As they should. For some, this verse is sighted to show that if we as Christians are going to be effective in reaching 'this generation', we need to ' do as they do ', look as they look, and act as they act. Is this what Paul really meant when he wrote those words? Let's work off the assumption that we all agree that the lost of the world need to be reached with the gospel. It's a good place to start. Christians are called to evangelize. "Go" unto the world, cannot be done from your desk, from inside your church, or even from your computer. You have to go and rub elbows as they say, and ...

Matthew 5:14-16 14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. In watching some worthwhile Christian TV last night, this verse was read to me. In the context of the show ( Drive Thru History: America , You can become a Facebook fan of the show by clicking HERE ), they were talking about the Pilgrims travails in getting to America. In that show it was mentioned that one of their driving forces was the verse above from the Sermon on the Mount. As the host read off this passage, the end of verse 16 stuck in my ears. With all the talk the Lord has been giving me on making a difference as Christians, and applying God's will and righteousness to our freedoms, this verse played right into that theme. We ha...

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. [Begin Rant] OK, call me a crazy Christian conservative right-wing gun-toting whacko, but why in the world do we want to say it is OK to have our children, the next generation of Christians (or so we hope) fill their minds with stories of Vampires, the 'underworld', demons and magic? Whatever happened to filling our minds with the things of God and righteousness rather than the things of the world? Whatever happened to Philippians 4:8? Why don't we encourage these things more, and work harder to protect our children and young and vulnerable believers from the attractions of the world which will prove to be distractions from Christ? Sure, we can debate the 'freedom in Christ' thin...

John 17:4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. It came to mind today something that Pastor Chuck Smith had shared with us at this year's Sr. Pastors Conference. I thought of it in part because of the celebration we had this weekend of the 40 th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Lunar landing. President Kennedy, who had promised to take us to the moon within the decade (1960's), something we did accomplish, but that he did not live to see, started his term as President with a wonderful speech. In that inaugural address he said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." What Chuck Smith had to say was very similar in tone, but with much farther reaching effects. Chuck said, "Going through all of scripture I find a biblical emphasis that is not what we can do for God. But rather, what he has already done for us." His point was, I believe two fold. Firstly that the work of...

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. Last night, on a night when we normally have a family bible study, or a one on one study with the kids, I decided a change of pace was in order. I talked it over with my wife, and off we went to a 6:40 PM showing of the animated movie UP. Long story short, it was wonderful. Go see the movie. In the mean time, here's my experience. I went into the movie just glad to have a weeknight open enough to be able to go. Usually, between study time for the mid-week and Sunday teachings, board meetings, general meetings, and the midweek bible study itself, there is not much time left to do anything. Last night was a wonderful and rare exception to have free time. We to the theater, and after figuring out that the Fandango kiosk was not working, and listening to the next guy cuss at the machine because it does not dispense cash (it...

Fresh off the press from ABC News' website: "Roberto Micheletti sat down in a chair in front of the blue and white Honduran flag in the Presidential Palace on Tuesday and insisted he is the rightful occupant of the President's office . In an exclusive interview with ABC News -- Micheletti's first with an American Network -- he said he'd like to be called "Mr. President." "You have to because I am the President ," he said, then added playfully, "or you can call me Roberto if you want." Micheletti may think he's the president of Honduras, but the world isn't prepared to call him that and nor are a lot of Hondurans . That's because Micheletti became President on Sunday after masked Honduran army soldiers stormed the home of the country's elected president, Manuel "Mel" Zelaya, while he was sleeping. Still in his pajamas, he was forced onto a plane and taken to San Jose, Costa Rica, where he was left at the airp...

This coming Saturday is July 4 th . It is a day that we set aside in remembrance of our nation's declaration to remove itself from the chokehold of tyranny. It is a day in which a nation loosely knit together in common ideals, became a fiber woven tightly for a common purpose. Freedom, and self government. That day, fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence, a document that was essentially written evidence of their treason – a crime punishable by hanging or even dismemberment, and yet they signed it anyway. That day changed the face of a continent. That day forged a future for a free people. That day, created a nation of free people, governing themselves, for themselves. It was laughed at by the world's 'leaders' and political experts, called an 'experiment destined to fail'. It was also called an act of War by the King of what was at the time, arguably the world's most benevolent and civilized nation. Yet this group of fifty-six men, some as youn...